Shadow and Rouge: Mission Romance
by WingedArcher1
Summary: The mission during which Shadow the Hedgehog realized he was in love with his best friend started of pretty normal for him. He had no idea how this mission would change his life forever.


Shadow and Rouge: Mission Romance

The mission during which Shadow the Hedgehog realized he was in love with his best friend started of pretty normal for him. Him and Rouge were eating in the G.U.N. HQ's mess hall waiting for the briefing for said mission.

"So, any ideas on what we're going to be doing on this mission?" Shadow asked Rouge.

"I'm not sure, but we're due for a mission where we have to do some dancing."

"I doubt that will be it."

"You wanna bet?"

"Why not? Are we betting the usual?"

"Of course." So they shook hands and agreed to the bet.

"Although, if it is a dancing mission, I've actually gotten better."

"Really? Now I really hope it's a dancing mission." Rouge said scooting up next to Shadow. She loved messing with him like that. Especially when he started to trip over his words, she just thought it was too cute sometimes.

"Ah, well, I'm just glad I have you as my partner." Shadow tried to get out in a flat tone. It didn't happen. _Why does she do this to me? _He thought. He didn't get an answer though since they were called to the briefing room at that moment. So they walked down the hall to the room and walked in. Sitting at the table were two people who the agents knew kinda well. Topaz, a veteran G.U.N. agent who had gotten the two into the agency, and Miles "Tails" Prower, Shadow's rivals best friend.

"Good evening you two." Topaz greeted them. "Are you ready for the briefing?"

"Sure." Shadow answered. "By why is he here?" Over the years Shadow had grown to respect the young kid and his skills, but he was still surprised to see him here.

"I'm here as a special consultant at the request of the commander. I'm going to need to help you speak technical terms to keep your cover."

"What are our covers?" Rouge asked.

"Here." Topaz said sliding two manila folders across the table. Shadow opened his first and looked inside. He wasn't too happy.

"Are you serious?! Charles Carmichael? Does the commander want us to be caught?!" He said a bit upset. The other three in the room were surprised at his outburst. "It's a name from a TV show. And I bet ten to one Rouge's cover name is Sarah Walker." Rouge opened up her folder and looked.

"Yeah, it is. Wow. Does the commander hate us?"

"I think it's more he hates me." Shadow said. "He's still upset that he was wrong about me working for the Black Arms. God, that was ten years ago."

"Well, we can't change them since the mission is tomorrow night." Topaz said.

"Fine, we can deal. So what's the mission?" Shadow asked.

"It's a protection mission. As you may or may not know the island of Soleanna is in peace talks with the Acorn kingdom. To help the situation along they are holding a huge party tomorrow night and all sorts of higher-ups, famous people, and royalty will be there."

"And the problem is?" Rouge asked wanting to get to the point.

"We believe that one of Soleannan governors is plotting to assassinate Princess Sally so that he can create a power vacuum and launch an invasion."

"Okay, but won't Sonic be there to protect her?" Shadow asked.

"Didn't you hear they broke up?" Tails asked back.

"Again, damn." Shadow commented. "Okay, so we're actually needed this time. Do we know what this guy looks like?"

"No, not even a picture. But here's the thing, he's part of the government. We technically aren't allowed to do anything to him. In fact we don't have any jurisdiction in Soleanna at all."

"Hence the very poorly planned covers." Rouge pointed out. "So you're saying if we get caught and thrown in jail G.U.N. can't help us?"

"Exactly. You two are our best agents and probably the only two who can pull it off."

"Great." Shadow said sarcastically. "Now, I have some questions about my cover. What is my job or hobbies?"

"You're a semi-retired software creator and consultant. You like to fiddle with computers in your spare time. You met your girlfriend Sarah while you were working your way up in an electronics store."

"I figured, just like the show. You got any questions Rouge?"

"Yeah, is there going to be any dancing during this mission?" _I should have known she would have asked that._ Shadow thought.

"Well, of course. You know how the Soleannan people love to dance." Topaz explained. Rouge turned to Shadow and smiled a 'told you so' type smile. After that the four discussed some smaller details about the mission. Thirty minutes later they were done.

"I think we can do this." Rouge said at the conclusion.

"Yeah, me too." Shadow said. "Just make sure you tell me the right things to say Tails and we'll be good."

"Yeah, make sure you and that big brain of yours is in gear." Rouge said ruffling his fur and getting under his skin. For some reason Shadow hated when she did that to other guys. Shadow always wondered why he was so jealous but never found the answer. Anyway, the two left the room after that.

"Did you have to do that to Tails?" Shadow asked Rouge. "You know he has a girlfriend now right?"

"Why are you jealous." For some reason she read him so well. Almost as good as Maria did.

"No." Shadow said quickly. "I'm just looking out for the kid. He's a good guy and should stay like that." And with that Shadow tried to dash away. But Rouge grabbed him by the arm and pulled him back. She pulled him so close that their heads were almost touching. Rouge leaned into his ear and whispered.

"You still owe me five rings." Shadow mentally facepalmed as he reached into his pocket and procured the money. He handed it to Rouge and she put it in her pocket. Shadow tried to walk away again but then Rouge pinched his butt. "And I'll see you tonight." Shadow knew exactly what she meant and this was one of the other reasons his relationship with Rouge was emotionally taxing on him. You see, Shadow and Rouge were what you would call "friends with benefits." Almost every night they would have sex just to relive the stress they got each day. At first Shadow thought he could keep his emotions out of it, but sooner or later he realized he was beginning to have feelings for his partner. He blamed it on not having much of a childhood, but it could have been anything. It was also at these times something Maria told him all those years ago came back to his mind.

"Shadow, some day you're going to find some girl who you start to have romantic feelings for. Make sure you tell that girl how you feel before it's too late." So, this night after they had finished up Shadow asked Rouge a question before she left his room.

"Rouge, have you ever thought about quitting G.U.N. and getting married or something?" Shadow knew he did all the time, and most of the time Rouge was his wife.

"I have a few times actually. But I would have to find the right guy to be with. He would have to be level headed, love me for who I am, and want children." And that's one thing that stopped Shadow in his tracks. He didn't even know if he could have kids with normal Mobians with him being half alien and all. And if he did, could he even take care of them in a good way? Rouge talking snapped him out of his thoughts though. "Why do you ask? Are you afraid our late night escapades are going to end?"

"No, just thought I would ask. I am your best friend and all."

"Aww, you care about me." Rouge said coming over and giving him a kiss on the nose. "And don't worry, I'm not leaving you anytime soon." And with that she left the room. When the door slid closed she leaned back against it stressed.

"Why can't I ever tell him how I truly feel." She said to herself. It was true, the same thing that happened Shadow had happened to her. But every time she wanted to say something about it to him her defenses would go up and it would come out as just flirting with him. She blamed it on that darn red echidna who broke her heart. She found out the only reason he dated her was so her could keep an eye on her. She was never the same after that That night she had a dream where she was holding a child in her arms but she didn't know why. Then Shadow came up behind her and hugged them both and said that he loved them. Rouge didn't get any farther in to the dream since her alarm went off. "If only." She said getting up. The morning and afternoon of that day went as normal mission days went, eating with Shadow, going over the plans for the night, and choosing what to wear on the mission.

"You know, I don't think I'll ever get used to wearing clothes." Shadow said stepping out of the dressing room in a tuxedo.

"But you do look very sharp." Rouge replied meaning it.

"Thank you, and you're outfit is amazing as always." She was wearing a sky blue dress that only had one strap on her left side and room in the back for her wings.

"Well, what do you expect it's me. But I do appreciate the compliment." _More than he knows._ Rouge thought. After that the duo along with Tails and Topaz boarded a boat headed for Soleanna. They also brought a black van onto the boat so Tails and Topaz could stay inconspicuous while monitoring the situation. An hour later Shadow and Rouge were walking with their arms lock around each other to the entrance of the party. There was a bouncer making sure that no one snuck in.

"Name please." Shadow took a deep breath and answered.

"Charles Carmichael. And this is my girlfriend Sarah." The bouncer gave them a wierd look at hearing their cover names. Good thing Rouge was on the ball.

"Yes, we get the irony. Now can we go in please?" The bouncer checked the list.

"Ah yes, Carmichael. You're the last name on the list."

"Yeah, we made a last second decision to accept the invitation." Shadow said as they walked in. When they were out of earshot he said, "I knew that was going to happen."

"Calm down honey, It'll be fine." Rouge reassured him.

"Honey?"

"Staying in cover."

"Oh." But Shadow had to admit he liked the sound of her calling him that. They walked over to an elevated area of the building so they could look down at the crowd. "See anyone suspicious?"

"Not really. But I see Ms. Acorn already has a new boyfriend." Rouge answered pointing down and to the left. Princess Sally was down on the dance floor dancing very close to monkey wearing a cape.

"I never saw what Sonic saw in her, you know?" Shadow commented.

"Me either. Maybe he'll finally give Amy a chance, she has matured a lot recently."

"Maybe. But we should be heading down their, the assassin would most likely be there." So they walked down a few flights of stairs to the dance floor. No one popped out as suspicious on the way there even though they were both looking. When they got there Shadow extended his hand out to Rouge. "Would you like dance dear?"

"Of course." Rouge answered taking it. Through the course of a few dances a few people stopped the two and asked who they were and Tails talked Shadow through all the computer jargon. They were about to move on to another area because they weren't having any luck finding the assassin.

"One more song and we move." Shadow said. And it just turned out that the next song was a fast tango. So to start out Shadow put his one hand in Rouge's hand and one on her hip. They both started to take quick powerful steps to the beat of the music. Shadow was getting really into it and it showed. He was twirling Rouge around and then bringing her close to his body. Rouge was loving it as well and they were attracting a crowd with their dancing. As the song reached its climax Rouge put her leg around Shadow's torso and he obliged by putting his hand on her thigh for support. Then he slid her under his legs and back and at the end he tilted her back as far as he could. The pair's heads were just inches apart and they were breathing heavily.

"Kiss me." Rouge told Shadow. He didn't care if it was just to keep the cover, he was going to enjoy this. He closed the gap and kissed her very passionately. The crowd hooted and hollered enjoying the scene. Then the two left the dance floor and sat down at a table.

"Did you see anyone?" Rouge asked.

"No, I'm starting to doubt that there's even an assassin here." Shadow answered. Then there was a short pause. _Okay, it's now or never._ Shadow thought. "Rouge, I need to tell you something." But before he could get it out Rouge shushed him.

"Look, over there." She pointed. Shadow looked over to see a human with his hand in his suit like there was a gun in it. The pair immediately got back up and started to dance towards the man as to not look suspicious. As they reached where the suspicious man was Shadow spun Rouge around like a dance move but Rouge stuck her foot out so it looked like she kicked the guy on accident. He fell to the ground and luckily no one but them two saw it. But when they searched his suit they were disappointed.

"It's a rotten egg Rouge. Looks like he was just an extreme protester." Shadow said producing said egg.

"Maybe out intelligence was wrong this time. So what were going to tell me?" Rouge asked Shadow.

"I was going to say-" But yet again he was cut off by someone yelling.

"Down with the animals!" Came from across the room. Shadow looked around and didn't see anyone. Rouge had already gone to protect the princess so she couldn't help him either. He thought it was strange that a shot hadn't been fired yet. Then he realized their plan. The guy yelling was a distraction to rile up the crowd so a sniper could get a shot off unnoticed. Shadow looked up to the higher floors and saw another human aiming a gun down towards the crowd. He Chaos Controled behind the guy and would have snapped his neck but he stepped on something that made a noise. The man quickly shot without looking right before Shadow knocked him out with a punch. Then Shadow grabbed him by the collar and Chaos Controlled back down. There was still a commotion thought because apparently that shot hit someone. And Shadow, being the okay person he usually was, went to go check on them. But then he was stopped in his tracks when he saw who it was.

"Rouge?" He sorta asked to himself. She was laying on her back and blood was coming out of a hole near her stomach. Shadow bent down and tilted her head up so she could face him. He moved his head to her chest and felt her heart beating so he knew he still had a chance to save her. Shadow snapped out of his lull it quickly and picked her up and teleported back to the van. Topaz and Tails were surprised but all Shadow had to do is yell, "Drive!" and they got the point. Shadow used all his first-aid skills to try and stop they bleeding as much as he could but Rouge's pulse was dropping.

"Sh-Shadow?" She asked slowly regaining some conciousness.

"Shh, save you strength." Shadow told her and she did. He was trying to act confident but he was freaking out on the inside. _This is just like what happened 50 years ago._ He kept thinking. They got to the hospital within ten minutes and the E.R. crew took Rouge in as quickly as they could. Then it was a waiting game. Shadow was pacing back and forth and it was freaking Tails out.

"Will, you stop that?! You're supposed to be the calm one!"

"Calm?! You want me to be calm?! The girl I love is fighting for her life in an operating room and you want me to be calm?!" Shadow yelled incredulously. He didn't realized what he said until a few seconds later. "I'm sorry Tails. It's just, this has happened to me before and I can't deal with it this time." Tails came up to him and put an arm around his shoulder.

"I understand Shadow. I've lost people I've loved before too. Remember Cosmo? I still think about how I could have done things differently so she could live. But I've learned it's not in my control. Things happen Shadow, and sorry to say most of the time they aren't good."

"Thanks Tails, I needed that." Shadow said. Thirty minutes a doctor came into the waiting room and Shadow started to worry again. "Is she going to be okay?" He asked worried.

"Well, it was touch and go there for a while, the bullet was lucky enough to only graze her left lung but it was lodged in there deep. She's sleeping now, but we won't know the damage until she wakes up."

"When should that be?"

"It could be tomorrow morning or next week. The sooner the better though."

"I want to see her."

"I don't think-" The doctor stared, but Shadow gave him his best stare down and he yielded. "Room 553." Is all he said. Shadow ran down the hall as fast as he could but he entered Rouge's room slowly. She was laying on the hospital bed with a couple machines hooked up to her arms and hands. Their was a chair next to the bed and Shadow sat down on it. He was silent for the longest time just holding her hand in his. But finally it all just came out and he spilled his heart.

"I'm so sorry Rouge, I shouldn't have let that guy get that shot off. I didn't even get to tell you that I love you. You have to be alright, or I don't know what but it's not going to be pretty. And I don't even care if you don't feel the same way, I just need you to be around me to keep me sane." He said as a few tears went down his face. It was getting late but he didn't want to leave. So he just curled up to Rouge in the hospital bed and tried his best to sleep. And it was his tossing and turning that ended up waking Rouge up. She was confused since she was in a hospital bed and her stomach hurt. But she was even more surprised by the ball of black and red spines laying in the bed with her.

"Oww." She said slowly which woke Shadow up. He looked her in the eyes and they lit up like fireworks.

"You- You're awake." He said relieved.

"Of course I am it is morning. But why are we in a hospital.?"

"Don't you remember getting shot last night?" Rouge's mind started to unfog and she did remember.

"Oh yeah, that happened. All I remember is you telling me to save my energy and then-" And the she remembered the other thing he said. "You said that you loved me." Shadow contemplated lying but thought better of it.

"Yes I did. And I mean it. You are a very good friend to me and I realized that I can't live without you. And I know you might not feel the same way but-" Shadow was cut off by Rouge planting a big kiss on his lips.

"I feel the same way."

"Really?"

"Yes really. You showed me how to live a somewhat decent life and I don't know where I would be without you, probably in jail or dead. And not to mention you are very good looking."

"Same here. So where do we go from here?"

"Well, we're already having sex most nights anyway, I guess going on dates and stuff. But you know we have to hide it to stay as partners right?" G.U.N. didn't like couples working together because emotional stuff

"I know. But we've gotten this far already, and we're spies, how hard can it be?"

"True. So when can I get out of here, my wings are so cramped."

"The doctor said they would check you out when you woke up. I'll go tell him."

"Oh, and Shadow?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you."

"Anytime."

**A/N- They're might be a sequel to this or maybe extra chapters later on, but for know this is a stand alone story. And I'm still taking requests if anyone has any.**


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